Prisoner killed after stabbing inmate

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A 23-year-old San Diego County murderer was shot to death by a state prison guard as he and another prisoner attacked another man at High Desert State Prison near Susanville, authorities said Saturday.

The shooting in a maximum-security yard happened about 11:05 a.m. Friday, Nick Albonico of the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.

The slain inmate, whose name was unavailable early Saturday, was shot when he didn't follow orders, he said.

A 29-year-old prisoner was knocked down, kicked in the head and stabbed with a jail-made knife, causing him to pass out, Albonico said.

"The attacking inmates ignored repeated orders to stop their attack," he said. "A correctional officer discharged one round from his state-issued Mini-14 rifle. The round hit one of the attacking inmates."

The prisoner who was attacked suffered stab and slash wounds, he said.

The other attacker, a 29-year-old man serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for a first-degree murder conviction in Riverside County, was uninjured, he said.